University of Houston System Chancellor Renu Khator was the keynote speaker for Saturday's University of Houston-Victoria School of Nursing Pinning Ceremony, featuring the largest ever class of UHV nurse graduates.

During the pinning ceremony, students received a pin as part of a long nursing tradition.

The School of Nursing has 91 candidates for graduation, its largest class ever, according to Kathryn Tart, founding dean of the UHV School of Nursing.

"We are honored to have the chancellor address our graduates for the first time," Tart said. "This makes our pinning ceremony that much more special to our graduates, who will become part of the community of our honored profession."

Tart will give the greeting at the pinning ceremony. Graduates will receive degrees from the school's Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Second Degree BSN and Master of Science in Nursing programs.

Khator is chancellor of the UH System and president of UH. She was appointed in 2008 and is the first Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive public research university in the U.S.

She oversees a four-university system that serves 65,200 students, has an annual budget of more than $1.3 billion, and generates a $3.5 billion impact on the Greater Houston area each year.

Tart said the ceremony is a special way to recognize the hard work of the graduates. The nursing pin lets patients know that the nurse taking care of them has graduated from a university program. UHV has its own unique pin. The pin tradition is traced back to the late 1800s when Florence Nightingale placed the Maltese Cross on the lapels of her nursing school graduates.

"Since the school's beginning, we have focused on rigorous and quality nursing education," Tart said. "Our rapid growth has shown that we are meeting the demand for more nurses with advanced degrees."